I admit I'm a soft-touch for superhero movies to start with, but it didn't take long for Iron Man to gain another fan in me. A big part of that was down to Robert Downey Jr, who was as droll and gorgeous as ever in a part that seems made for him. The film gave me plenty of smiles and chuckles - enjoying the story with its angsty character development and humour, and, of course, charmed by Tony Stark's relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Pepper' Potts ("Tell me you never think about that night.." ahh). The romantic in me can never resist some good ol' UST (reminds me of those heady X Files days :-). I haven't seen a superhero movie with this much wit, heart and charm since Spiderman 2. Come on the sequel!
Robert Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times explains Iron Man's appeal (and its super-fit to RDJ) well in his review of the film:
Downey's performance is intriguing, and unexpected. He doesn't behave like most superheroes: he lacks the psychic weight and gravitas. Tony Stark is created from the persona Downey has fashioned through many movies: irreverent, quirky, self-deprecating, wise-cracking. ... Some superheroes speak in a kind of heightened, semi-formal prose, as if dictating to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Not Tony Stark. ... He's flippant in the face of disaster, casual on the brink of ruin. ...
At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies. You hire an actor for his strengths, and Downey would not be strong as a one-dimensional mighty-man. He is strong because he is smart, quick and funny, and because we sense his public persona masks deep private wounds. By building on that, Favreau found his movie, and it's a good one.
